As a young man, Tu left China to live with relatives in Germany, where he earned a degree in electrical engineering in 1970. Tu came to the United States in 1972. He and David Sun founded Camintonn Corporation, which manufactured computer parts. After that firm was sold, they founded Kingston Technology in 1987. In 1996 they sold 80% of Kingston for $1.5 billion and gave $100 million to their employees as a bonus; they bought back the 80% three years later for $450 million. Tu is president of Kingston, which makes some 3,000 different components that are used in computers, laser printers, and other electronic products. In 2004, Kingston reported revenues of $2.4 billion.